Ushio to Tora revolves around the struggles and conflicts of Ushio Aotsuki, who is persistently pursued and assisted by a colossal, supernatural, and occasionally invisible tiger-like creature. Ushio's family operates a Shinto shrine in Japan, where roughly 500 years prior, his samurai forebear fought that very tiger to a stalemate and ultimately imprisoned it against a rock using a consecrated spear known as the "Beast Spear." Besides its inherent power as a weapon, this spear can also grant its user the combat prowess of the ancestor who first wielded it. Ushio inadvertently unsealed the cavern where Tora was confined. At first, Ushio declines to withdraw the spear holding Tora in place, but Tora's released presence attracts various monsters eager to battle him, and consequently Ushio. Ushio is compelled to release Tora, who desires to consume Ushio but refrains because Ushio keeps the spear nearby. The narrative concentrates on their dynamic, interwoven with clashes against mythological adversaries and Tora's efforts to navigate contemporary society.